How to propagate hydrangeas: cuttings, layering, and division

Step by step

1. 1

   Pick the right shoot

   The best time for cuttings is June and July, when this year's shoots are semi-hardwood: firm at the base and still green at the tip. Choose healthy shoots without flower buds, because a flowering shoot roots poorly. The plant is best hydrated in the morning, so that's a good time to cut.

2. 2

   Cut an 8-10 cm cutting

   With sharp, clean pruners, cut off a tip 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) long, just below a node, the point where leaves grow from the stem. Roots emerge most readily from such a node. Leave one or two pairs of leaves at the top of the cutting.

3. 3

   Prepare the cutting

   Remove all the lower leaves that would end up underground, because they would rot in the soil. Trim large upper leaves in half with scissors to limit water loss. This keeps the cutting from drying out before it grows roots.

4. 4

   Dip in rooting hormone and plant

   Dip the bottom end of the cutting in gel or powder rooting hormone, shake off the excess, and plant it in moist, free-draining medium, for example a mix of peat with perlite or sand. Push the cutting in 3-4 cm (about 1.5 inches) and press the medium down around it. You can fit several cuttings in one pot.

5. 5

   Create a humid cover

   Cover the pot with clear plastic, a clear container, or a cut-off bottle to create a mini greenhouse with high humidity. Place it somewhere bright but out of harsh sun, which would overheat the inside. Uncover it briefly every day to air it out and prevent mold.

6. 6

   Wait for rooting and keep it moist

   The medium should stay slightly moist at all times, but never wet. Roots usually appear after 4-6 weeks - you'll know by the slight resistance when you gently tug the cutting and by fresh new leaves. Then gradually accustom the plant to open air by taking the cover off for longer and longer.

7. 7

   Overwinter the young plants

   Rooted cuttings should spend their first winter in a cool, bright, frost-free spot, for example a garage with a window or an unheated porch. They're still too weak for frost in open ground. Move them to their permanent place in the garden only the following spring, after the last frosts.

Propagating hydrangeas by layering

Layering is the simplest method for beginners, because the new plant keeps drawing water from the mother plant the whole time. In spring or summer, pick a low-growing, flexible shoot and bend it down to the ground. Lightly nick the bark where it touches the soil, pin the shoot down with a peg or a piece of wire, and cover it with soil, leaving the tip above the surface.

Keep the layered spot moist all season. The shoot usually roots by autumn or the following spring - then cut it away from the mother shrub and transplant it as an independent plant. This method works well with bigleaf hydrangeas, which have sprawling, flexible shoots.

Dividing the shrub and differences between varieties

You can propagate an older, well-established bigleaf hydrangea by division. In early spring or autumn, dig up the shrub and split it with a sharp spade into sections, each with its own roots and a few shoots. Plant the pieces in their new spots right away and water generously.

Stem cuttings work for both panicle and bigleaf hydrangeas, because both root in a similar way. Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas tolerate division best, while tree-form panicle hydrangeas are propagated mainly from cuttings. Whatever the method, plant the new plants out permanently only once they are well rooted.

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